Ptychognathus dajie: A new species of Pom Pom Crab from East and Southeast Asia.

The genus Ptychognathus comprises 32 species of brackish-water Crabs found in estuaries and the lower parts of river systems across the Indo-Western Pacific region. They are known as Pom Pom Crabs in the aquarium industry because of the clusters of fine setae (hairs) on their claws (although they are widely traded as freshwater Crabs rather than brackish-water Crabs). Most species of Ptychognathus have very localised distributions, being found on a single island, estuary, or river system, although one species, Ptychognathus barbatus, is found over an extremely wide area, including Japan, Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and New Caledonia. However, as part of a PhD thesis completed in 2006, carcinologist Ngan Kee Ng, then a graduate student at the National University of Singapore, examined the systematics of Ptychognathus barbatus, concluding that the populations described under this name represented two, rather than a single, species. Ng went on the lead a highly successful research group, specialising in the study of Crabs, for many years, before passing away in 2022, but never formerly published her PhD thesis. This means that all taxonomic nomenclature presented in the thesis is considered unusable under the terms of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, even if specialists in the field believe it to be generally correct.

In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 27 June 2025, Jhih-Wei Hsu of the Department of Life Science at the National Chung Hsing University, Jose Christopher Mendoza, of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum at the National University of Singapore, and Hsi-Te Shih, also of the Department of Life Science, and of the Global Change Biology Research Center at the National Chung Hsing University, build upon Ngan Kee Ng's work, to formally divide Ptychognathus barbatus into two, and describe a new species.

The new species is named Ptychognathus dajie, where 'dajie' means 'elder sister', a title often used for women in leadership roles in Chinese-speaking countries, in honour of Ngan Kee Ng. A genetic analysis of museum specimens suggests that this species is found in estuaries and tidally-influenced portions of rivers, in Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, China, Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand. Surprisingly, Ptychognathus dajie is not particularly closely-related to Ptychognathus barbatus, instead forming a sister species to Ptychognathus guijulugani, a species found on Negros and Mindanao islands in the Philippines, placing it close to the base of the Ptychognathus family tree.

A neighbor-joining tree for species of Ptychognathus, based on the COI gene. Probability values at the nodes represent support values. Only values greater than 50% are shown. Hsu et al. (2025).

Specimens of Ptychognathus dajie have almost square carapaces, slightly wider than they are long, with a glossy upper surface and a concave frontal margin. The lower part of the claw is covered by long, thin setae; claws are larger in males than in females. The largest male specimen found was 20.2 mm wide and 16.8 mm long, the largest female found was 16.8 mm wide and 14.5 mm long. Colour is extremeley variable, and tends to match the substrate upon which the Crabs live.

Ptychognathus dajie. (A), (B) Holotype male (13.2 × 11.6 mm, ZRC 2024.0072); (C), (D) Paratype female (10.6 × 9.2 mm, NCHUZOOL 17356); (E) Male (NCHUZOOL 17341); (F) Male (NCHUZOOL 17343); (G), (H) Males (NCHUZOOL 7342). (A), (C) Dorsal view; (B), (D) Ventral view; (A)–(D) Preserved specimens; (E)–(H) Colour in life. Hsu et al. (2025).

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Jinchuanloong niedu: A new species of Eusauropod Dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Gansu Province, China.

Sauropod Dinosaurs first appeared around the begining of the Jurassic, undergoing an extinction event at the end of the Early Jurassic, which has been linked to a period of intense global warming, which only a single lineage, the Eusauropods, survived. All subsequent Sauropod groups diversified from this single lineage. One group of Eusauropods, the Neosauropods, would eventually radiate and become the dominant Sauropods through the Late Jurassic and Cretaceous, but in the Middle Jurassic a variety of non-Neosauropod Eusauropods could still be found, particularly in East Asia.

In a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports on 23 May 2025, Ning Li of the School of Earth Sciences and Resources at the China University of Geosciences, Xiaoqin Zhang of Chuxiong Normal University, Xinxin Ren of the Key Laboratory of Stratigraphy and Paleontology of the Ministry of Natural Resources at the Institute of Geology of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Daqing Li of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Gansu Agricultural University, and Hailu You of the Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the College of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, describe a new species of non-Neosauropod Eusauropod from the Middle Jurassic Xinhe Formation of Gansu Province, China.

The Xinhe Formation is a 120 m thick sequence exposed in the Jinchuan District of Jinchang City, which starts at its bottom with a succession of conglomerates, sandstones, and siltstones, becoming finer further up where it becomes a sequence of interbedded shales and mudstones. It is thought to have been laid down in an ancient lake environment, roughly 166-165 million years ago. the specimen from which the new species is described was found in the lower part of this formation.

The new species is named Jinchuanloong niedu, where 'Jinchuanloong' means 'Jinchuan-dragon', and 'niedu' means 'Nickel-city', in reference to the abundant nickel resources in Jinchang, where the metal is mined extensively. It is described from a single specimen, comprising an almost intact skull, lateromedially compressed on its left side, along with the five anteriormost cervical (neck) vertebrae, and, separately, a section of twenty nine articulated caudal (tail) vertebrae. These were confirmed to be from the same animal by impressions of the pelvic girdle and sacral vertebrae, which connect them to the cervical vertebrae. These caudal vertebrae have not been excavated, but remain in place with a protective fence around them.

Skull of Jinchuanloong niedu (JCMF0132) in left lateral view. Abbreviations: a, aperture; an, angular; aof, antorbital fenestra; d, dentary; en, external naris; f, frontal; fo, foramen; inf, infratemporal fenestra;j, jugal; l, lacrimal; m, maxilla; n,nasal; o, orbit; p, parietal; pf, prefrontal; pm, premaxilla; po, postorbital; pop, paraoccipital process; q, quadrate; qj, quadratojugal; sa, surangular; snf, subnarial foramen; sq, squamosal. Li et al. (2025).

A phylogenetic analysis recovered Jinchuanloong niedu as a non-Neosauropod Eusauropod outside the two major non-Neosauropod Eusauropod clades, the Mamenchisauridae and the Tauriasauria, forming a sister taxon to the Tauriasauria plus the Neosauropoda. Li et al. suggest that the status of Jinchuanloong niedu as an apparently separate lineage outside of any of the major clades lends support to the idea that East Asia was a significant centre for Sauropod diversification in the Middle Jurassic.

Phylogenetic relationships of Jinchuanloong niedu. Li et al. (2025).

Li et al. further note that the dentition of Middle Jurassic Sauropods from East Asia, and in particular taxa from western China, is extremely variable, which they take as a sign of niche partitioning (i.e. different species having different diets), which in turn could have driven a high rate of taxonomic diversification.

Caudal vertebrae of Jinchuanloong niedu (JCMF0132). Li et al. (2025).

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Zosterophyllum baoyangense: A new species of Zosterophyllopsid Plant from the Early Devonian of Guizhou Province, China.

The first Vascular Plants appeared and underwent a dramatic radiation similar to that seem in Animals in the Cambrian, during the Late Silurian and Early Devonian. During this time both vegetative and sexual reproduction appeared, with some of the earliest Plants able to cover large areas through clonal growth, while at the same time producing spores which enabled them to distribute to new areas. During the Early Devonian structures such as leaves, roots, megaspores and secondary xylem also appeared. The Zosterophyllopsids formed a characteristic part of many Early Devonian floras, with species reported from China, North America, Europe and Australia. These Plants lacked leaves, and had a characteristic 'K'; or 'H' branching pattern, combined with lateral spike sporangia.

In a paper published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B on 15 January 2025, Pu Huang of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Jia-Shu Wang of the Geological Museum of China and the Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution at Peking University, Yi-Ling Wang, also of the Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution at Peking University, Lu Liu of the National Natural History Museum of China, Jing-Yu Zhao of the School of Resources and Civil Engineering at Suzhou University, and Jin-Zhuang Xue also of the Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution at Peking University, describe a new species of Zosterophyllopsid Plant from the Early Devonian of Guizhou Province, China.

The new species is described upon the basis of two compression fossils from the Plant-bearing beds from the lower part of the Early Devonian Mangshan Group at Baoyang in Duyun City in Guizhou Province. These beds have been determined to be Pragian in age (410.8-407.6 million years old) on the basis of fossils which are also found in the Posongchong Formation of Yunnan Province, which in turn has been dated on the basis of spore assemblages, Plants and stratigraphic correlation It is placed in the genus Zosterophyllum, and given the specific name baoyangense, meaning 'from Baoyang'.

Zosterophyllum baoyangense  (a), (b) PB203562, part and counterpart, showing a fertile axis with K-shaped branching and a terminal spike. Arrows highlight branching points. The parts indicated by arrows (c) and (d) are enlarged in (c), (d), respectively; (c) K-shaped branching; (d) branching point showing a nearby protuberance (arrow); (e), (f) Enlarged view of the terminal spike in (a) and (b); (g) enlarged view of the basal part of the spike in (e). Arrow points to the margin of the basal sporangium. (h) Enlargement of the distal sporangia in (f) (arrow h), showing dehiscence line (white arrow) and peripheral rim along the convex distal margin (the area between two black arrows). Scale bars: (a), (b) 10 mm; (c)–(f), 1 mm; (g), (h), 0.5 mm. Huang et al. (2025).

Zosterophyllum baoyangense comprises a rhizome system with K-shaped branching and upright sporangia-bearing spikes 5.8-10.8 mm high. Each of these spikes has 5-10 sporangia, arranged in a spiral pattern. The sporangia are oval to semicircular, 1.6−2.0 mm high and 0.9−1.4 mm wide, departing from axis at an acute angle by a short stalk.

The Zosterophyllopsids are a distinctive group of Plants found worldwide from the Late Silurian to the Late Devonian. There are currently 37 described genera in the group, although it is not completely certain they form a monophyletic group. The earliest members of the group appear in the Ludlow (427.4-423.0 million years ago), with the group reaching its maximum diversity during the Pragian, then declining during the Emsian (410.62-393.47 million years ago), and eventually disappearing during the Frasnian (382.7-372.2 million years ago.

Zosterophyllum baoyangense is notably smaller that other members of same genus, with a complete specimen measuring 45.4 mm in length and 0,5-1.3 mm in width, with a spike 10.8 mm high. For comparison, the contemporary Zosterophyllum confertum from western Germany can reach 5.1 mm in width with a preserved length of 440 mm. Silurian members of the genus were typically smaller, though they grew over time, while Emsian species, while rarer, show a wider range of sizes. 

All species of Zosterophyllum lack any form of spikes, leaves, or leafy structures. However, they are presumed to have been able to photosynthesize due to the presence of stomata. With such a simple bodyplan, the only way that these plants would have been able to increase their photosynthetic surface would have been to get larger, a trend observed from their origin in the Late Silurian and through the Early Devonian. 

Zosterophyllum baoyangense, however, does not comply with this trend, being much smaller than known contemporary species, and even most Silurian specimens. Huang et al. suggest that this may be a sign of a much shorter life-cycle than other species. This in turn could be an adaptation to an unstable environment, or one with very limited resources, showing that early Vascular Plants had begun to show adaptation to different environments by the Early Devonian. 

Artist’s restoration of part of the Early Devonian Mangshan Flora, with Plant communities of Zosterophyllum baoyangense at the front, and Teyoua antrorsa, Zosterophyllum australianum and an unnamed zosterophyllopsid to the back. Huang et al. (2025).

The history of Vascular Plants can be divided into five evolutionary floras, the Rhyniophytic Flora, dominated by Rhyniophytes and Cryptospore producers, the Eophytic Flora, dominated by Zosterophyllopsids, followed by the Palaeophytic Flora,  the Mesophytic Flora and the (modern0 Cainophytic Flora. The Plants of the Rhyniophytic Flora were typically very small, and it is thought that the (first) terrestrial habitats that they inhabited were probably very ephemeral. The Plants of the Eophytic Flora, while still very simple, are generally much larger, which has been interpreted as a sign of more stable environments developing. In South China, however, a strongly seasonal wet-dry climate is known to have developed in the Early Devonian, which may have made it harder for early Plants to stabilize environments, producing dwarfed species such as Zosterophyllum baoyangense, which could have completed their entire life-cycles in a shorter period of time.

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Magnitude 6.8 earthquake in southern Tibet kills at least 126 people.

The China Earthquake Networks Center recorded a Magnitude 6.8 Earthquake at a depth of 10 km beneath Tingri County in southern Tibet, close to Mount Everest and the border with Tibet at about 9.05 am local time on Tuesday 7 January 2025 (about 1.05 am, GMT). The Earthquake was felt across southern Tibet, eastern Nepal, western Bhutan, northeastern India and northern Bangladesh. More than 150 aftershocks have been recorded since the original event.

The approximate location of the 7 January 2025 Tibet Earthquake. USGS.

At the time of writing rescue workers have reported 126 deaths and 188 people injured in Tibet and another five injuries in Nepal. However, the number of casualties is likely to rise significantly, as the population in the area around the epicentre of the Earthquake largely live in small, remote villages, largely cut off from the outside world, and which are subsequently difficult for rescue workers to reach. To make matters worse, daytime temperatures in the area average -8°C at this time of year, falling to -18°C at night. More than a thousand homes have been damaged or destroyed in areas that rescue workers have managed to reach, so is likely that in other areas people may have lost  their homes or be trapped beneath debris, vulnerable to the cold.

Rescue workers in Tingri County, Tibet, following a Magnitude 6.8 Earthquake on Tuesday 7 January 2024. Xinhua/AP.

Earthquake activity in the area is caused by the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, due to the impact of India into Eurasia to the south. he Indian Plate is moving northwards at a rate of 5 cm per year, causing it to impact into Eurasia, which is also moving northward, but only at a rate of 2 cm per year. The collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates has led to the formation of the Himalayan Mountains, the Tibetan Plateau, and the mountains of southwest China, Central Asia and the Hindu Kush.

Block diagram showing how the impact of the Indian Plate into Eurasia is causing uplift on the Tibetan Plateau. Jayne Doucette/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Much of Tibet and neighbouring areas of Central Asia and the Himalayas, are prone to Earthquakes caused by the impact of the Indian Plate into Eurasia from the south. When two tectonic plates collide in this way and one or both are oceanic then one will be subducted beneath the other (if one of the plates is continental then the other will be subducted), but if both plates are continental then subduction will not fully occur, but instead the plates will crumple, leading to folding and uplift (and quite a lot of Earthquakes). The collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates has lead to the formation of the Himalayan Mountains, the Tibetan Plateau, and the mountains of southwest China, Central Asia and the Hindu Kush.

The movement of India into Eurasia over the last 71 million years. USGS.

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Ichthyophis yangi: A new species of Caecilian from China.

Caecilians are limbless burrowing Amphibians found in tropical regions of Asia, Africa and South America. They resemble Earthworms, with circular folds on their skin which make them look segmented and skin covering their eyes (though they can see), though they are true Vertebrates with visible jawbones, which all Worms lack.. Unlike snakes they have greatly reduced or even absent tails with their anus close to or at the tips of their bodies. Caecilians are predatory with a well developed sense of smell. 

Members of the Family Ichthyophiidae are found in Asia from India east to the Philippines, and south through Myanmar to southern China, Thailand, and the Malayan Archipelago, ultimately reaching the Wallace Line. the Ichthyophiidae was formerly divided into three genera, Caudacaecilia, Ichthyophis, and Uraeotyphlus, but molecular phylogenies have suggested that Caudacaecilia and Ichthyophis are not genetically distinct, and thus all species from both genera have been placed in the single genus Ichthyophis (this having been named first). Thus, Ichthyophis currently contains 49 species of Caecillians, in two distinct colour types, one having a pair of lateral stripes in a yellow or cream colour, and one lacking any such. All members of a species appear to always belong to a single colour type, but this is no guide to relationships between species.

In a paper published in the journal Asian Herpetological Research on 9 December 2024, Dingqi Rao and Hongxin Zhou of the Kunming Institute of Zoology, Mingzhong Mo of the Forestry and Grassland Administration of Honghe Prefecture, Zhiyong Yu of the Fenshuiling National Nature Reserve, and Xiuyan Li and Shou Liu, also of the Kunming Institute of Zoology, describe a new species of Ichthyophis from Yunnan Province, China.

In 1922 German zoologist Rudolph Mell reported observing a unmarked species of Ichthyophis on Luofu Mountain in Guangdong Province, but aside from this, all other records of the genus in China are of striped species. Then, in June 2023, a group of local residents in Jinping County of Yunnan Province found a dead and partially dried Caecilian beside a road near the village of Maandi, which they took to Mingzhong Mo. He in turn took it to the Kunming Institute of Zoology, where it was recognised as a stripeless Ichthyophis.

A subsequent search of the area by zoologists from the Kunming Institute of Zoology recovered another five specimens, including two sub-adults, all od which were lacking in stripes. A subsequent genetic analysis confirmed that these were a new species of Ichthyophis, forming a sister species to Ichthyophis chaloensisi, a stripeless species from Vietnam. The new species is named in honour of Datong Yang, the first herpetologist to describe a new species of Ichthyophis from China.

Holotype of Ichthyophis yangi in life. Rao et al. (2024).

The largest specimen of Ichthyophis yangi is 324 mm in length and 16 mm wide at its mid-body. All are grey in colour, without any markings. The head is flattened and widest behind the mouth, tapering towards the tip of the snout. The eyes are covered by skin. Teeth are small and hook-shaped. The species is only known from the area around Maandi Village, with most specimens found under stones on farmland close to a stream.

(A) Habitat of Ichthyophis yangi. (B) The place where holotype of Ichthyophis yangi was discovered. Jingchao Wang in Rao et al. (2024).

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